It is important to fully understand the way our bodies react to threats or danger – whether real or imagined. When a person believes they are in danger, several changes occur. This response is called the ‘fight/flight’ response. As previously explained, when confronted with danger, we will typically flee from the situation, or stand and fight. The main purpose of the fight/flight response is to protect the individual. It is therefore important to remember that the experience of anxiety is not, in itself, harmful. When a person’s fight/flight response is activated, three major systems are affected. These are the physical, cognitive and behavioural systems.
Physical System
When we believe that we are in danger, our whole physical system undergoes some major, temporary changes designed to enhance our ability to either run away or stand and be ready to fight. Physically, as soon as danger is perceived, the brain sends a message to our autonomic nervous system. Our autonomic nervous system has two sections: the sympathetic branch and the parasympathetic branch. These two sections control the physical changes that occur in the fight/flight response. The sympathetic branch is the part that activates the various areas of the body to be ready for action. When the sympathetic branch is activated, it includes all areas of the body, and therefore, the person experiences physical changes from head to toe. To get things moving, the sympathetic nervous system releases two chemicals from the adrenal glands situated on the top of the kidneys. These chemicals are called adrenalin and noradrenalin and are basically messengers that serve to maintain the physical changes required for a sufficient amount of time. So what are these physical changes that the sympathetic mechanism produces when you are anxious?
1. An increase in heart rate and strength of beat. One physical change that is quite noticeable to the person experiencing the fight/flight response, is an increase in heart rate and the strength of heartbeat. An increase in heart rate enables blood to be pumped around the body faster, so that oxygen gets delivered more promptly to the various tissues of the body, and waste products can be efficiently eliminated.
2. A redistribution of blood from areas that aren’t as vital, to those that are. There is also a change in blood flow – away from places where it is not needed (such as skin, fingers and toes)towards the places it is
likely to be needed (large organs and muscles). This is very useful because if we were attacked and cut in some way we would be less likely to bleed to death, as the blood will be with the vital organs. This physical change results in the skin looking pale and feeling cold, and also cold, numb and tingling fingers and toes can be experienced.
3. An increase in the rate and depth of breathing. As well as changes to heart rate, there are also changes to the speed and depth of breathing. This is very important, as it provides the tissues with the extra amount of oxygen required to prepare for action. The feelings produced by this increase in breathing can include breathlessness, choking or smothering feelings, tightness and pain in the chest, and sighing and yawning. One of the main side effects of this increase in breathing is that the blood supply to the head is actually decreased. This is not dangerous but can produce a collection of unpleasant symptoms, including dizziness, light-headedness, blurred vision, confusion, feelings of unreality and hot flushes.
4. An increase in sweating. Another physical change in the fight/flight response is an increase in sweating. This causes the body to become more slippery, making it harder for a predator to grab. Also, by sweating, the body is able to cool down, thus preventing it from overheating.
5. Widening of the pupils of the eyes. One effect of the fight/flight response that people are often unaware of, is that the pupils widen to let in more light, which may result in the experience of blurred vision, spots before the eyes, or just a sense that the light is too bright. This change enables the person to see more efficiently and to identify any hidden dangers, such as something lurking in the shadows.
6. Decreased activity of the digestive system. This allows more energy to be diverted to systems more immediately related to fight or flight. The effects you might notice as a result of this body change are a decrease in salivation, resulting in a dry mouth, as well as producing feelings of nausea, a heavy stomach, or even constipation.
7. Muscle tension. Finally, many of the muscle groups tense up in preparation for fight/flight and this results in subjective feelings of tension, sometimes resulting in aches and pains and trembling and shaking. The whole physical process is a comprehensive one that often leaves the individual feeling quite exhausted.
Behavioural System
As already mentioned, the two main behaviours associated with fear and anxiety are to either fight or flee. Therefore, the overwhelming urges associated with this response are those of aggression and a desire to escape wherever you are. Often, this is not possible (due to social constraints) and so people often express the urges through behaviours such as foot tapping, pacing or snapping at people.
Cognitive System
As the main objective of the fight/flight response is to alert the person to the possible existence of danger, one major cognitive change is that the individual begins to shift their attention to the surroundings to search for potential threats. This accounts for the difficulty in concentrating that people who are anxious experience. This is a normal and important part of the fight/flight response as its purpose is to stop you from attending to your ongoing chores and to permit you to scan your surroundings for possible danger. Sometimes, an obvious threat cannot be found. Unfortunately, most of us cannot accept not having an explanation for something and end up searching within ourselves for an explanation. This often results in people thinking that there is something wrong with them – they must be going crazy or dying.
Restoration of the Systems
Once the immediate danger has abated, the body begins a process of restoration back to a more relaxed state. This is once again controlled by the autonomic nervous system. This time it instructs the parasympathetic branch to begin the process of counteracting the sympathetic branch. As a result, the heart rate begins to slow, the breathing rate slows, the body’s temperature begins to lower and the muscles begin to relax. Part of the process of restoration is that the systems do not return to normal straight away. Some arousal continues and this is for a very good reason. In primitive times, if a wild animal confronted us it would be foolish to relax and be off guard as soon as the animal began to back off. The chances of danger continuing in such a case cause the body to remain prepared for the need to once again face danger. Therefore, residual effects of the fight/flight response remain for some time and only gradually taper off. This can leave the individual feeling ‘keyed up’ for some time afterwards. This helps to understand why it is that people can feel anxious for ongoing periods of time when no obvious stressor is present.
What Causes Anxiety?
The combination of factors that result in an individual developing an anxiety disorder differs from person to person. However, some major factors that have been identified, which may be common to sufferers. These factors can be effectively divided into biological and psychological causes.
Biological Factors
A genetic factor has been linked to the development of anxiety disorders. For example, in obsessive-compulsive disorder, about 20% of first-degree relatives have also suffered from the condition. Overall, based on family studies, it has been suggested that individuals may inherit a vulnerability to developing an anxiety disorder.
Psychological Factors
Having this genetic vulnerability does not imply that those individuals will develop an anxiety disorder. A great deal depends on the lifestyle of that person, the types of life stressors they have encountered and their early learning. For example, if we were taught to fear certain neutral situations as a child it can become difficult to extinguish these learned patterns of behaviour. Therefore, we may have developed certain patterns of thinking and behaving which contribute to the development of an anxiety disorder.
Summary
As you can see from this description of the fight/flight response, anxiety is an important emotion that serves to protect us from harm. For some people, the fight/flight response becomes activated in situations where no real danger is present. The types of situations vary greatly from person to person. For example, simply anticipating poor performance on an examination can be enough to activate the fight/flight response. An anxiety disorder is usually diagnosed when a person cannot manage to function adequately in their daily life due to the frequency and severity of the symptoms of anxiety. It is important to keep in mind, however, that some anxiety is functional, enabling us to get to work on time, meet demands, cross busy streets and remain aware of our surroundings.
Amanda Hewson is an extreme medicine nurse & MSOS Trainer
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